Something Blue
by AerisSerris
Summary: Tara Mahariel never imagined the day she'd kill Tamlen. Who will be there to help her move on when she nearly shatters? Fem!Mahariel/Zevran


**I read about how Mahariel has to kill Tamlen, and this is a scene I'd like to think happens between Tara and Zevran when I'm not playing the game. I wonder what else those groupies get up to...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age, and I never will.**

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In all the months since Tara had been forced to leave her Clan, she never imagined the moment she'd be forced to kill her best friend.

It was a quiet winter night. The wind gushed around the Dalish elf's tent, and Tara shivered, pulling the blankets closer to her. Barkspawn, her faithful Mabari war hound, was curled next to her, giving her more warmth.

Barkspawn whimpered, staring at Tara with his big brown eyes.

"I know, boy." The Grey Warden muttered. "Next time, we'll stay in an inn."

Barkspawn seemed to cheer up at the thought, licking Tara's face with a big slurp.

After a long day of Grey Wardening, it felt good to curl up in a warm, soft bedroll. Closing her green eyes, Tara tried to sleep, though the blasting winds made it hard.

As if to add to her troubles, shrieking noises came from outside. Tara grumbled in irritation, unaware that growls added to the shrieking.

"Will you SHUT UP?!" Yelled Tara, snapping herself upwards, making Barkspawn jump in surprise. Muttering angrily, the Grey Warden peeked outside her tent.

What Tara didn't see was her friends chattering loudly, but rather shrieks, stalking inside her camp. The Dalish elf grabbed her twin Dar'Misu blades, leaping outside and into battle.

The others also heard the commotion. Leliana was firing arrows into one shriek, while Morrigan and Wynne aimed spells at another. Alistair, clumsy without armor and in the snow, kept stumbling, but still managed to kill the shriek. Sten held no mercy for his victims, while Shale seemed quite happy at their attack. Zevran, meanwhile, fought alongside Tara.

Weaker because of their lack of armor, the battle ended with everyone having gashes and scratches (or chippings, in Shale's case), but otherwise unharmed. Barkspawn growled menacingly.

Tara thought the worst of the night was over. She was wrong.

"T.... Tara.... Help.... me...."

The Dalish elf whipped around to see what used to be Tamlen.

"Tamlen!" She screamed, running to her old friend and holding his head in her arms.

"Tara... You're.... alive....?" Tamlen laughed weakly. "Kill me, lethallin." He whispered. Tara gasped.

"Tamlen, I - "

"Do it... for me...? Please..." Tamlen whimpered.

It was the hardest thing Tara could do. With a small nod, the Grey Warden held a Dar'Misu and sank the blade into Tamlen's chest. The last she saw of her old friend was a smile.

"I love you, Tara..." Sighed Tamlen before the elf died. His face was blue from both cold and death. Tara's tears stained Tamlen's body as no one dared to approach her.

Everyone, of course, except for Zevran.

"My dear, we have to go soon." He told her after a good hour or so had passed.

"Like I care." Snapped Tara, holding Tamlen even closer. Zevran sighed in irritation.

"Well, you should. Did you even notice that Wynne placed two blankets over you because of the ever-falling snow?" Surely enough, Tara was suddenly aware of two thick, warm fur blankets draped on her shoulders. "There you have it. I will help you bury him, if it helps."

Tara sighed. She'd spent enough time grieving over Tamlen, remembering times shared, from laughs to hunts to watching little elf children pretending to be Tara.

_"'Pow! I got one with my bow!'" Said one little elf girl that loved to pretend to be Tara. _

_"No! I wanna be the best hunter!" _

_"No, I am first!"_

_Tara chuckled as she watched the little elves pretend to be her. She wasn't a narcissist, or stuck-up. She was just a good hunter, and everyone in the Clan admired her skill._

_"They sure do want to be like you." Laughed Tamlen, as he sat beside Tara._

_"It's very flattering." The Dalish woman agreed._

_"Everyone really looks up to you. What would happen if you left?" Said Tamlen. Tara looked at her knees._

_"I don't know. Maybe the Clan would move?" _

_Both laughed at the silly thought._

A grave for Tamlen had been buried while Tara was in her thoughts. Zevran watched her, admiring her curves and the rather cute look of seriousness she got when she was lost in her own world.

Ah, but he would respect her, touch only if asked to. Zevran would be a gentleman, as always, and only fulfill requests of pleasure, as always.

Only once he wished he could screw the rules and throw caution to the wind. But then, if he did that, Tara would probably skin him alive.

"Set him in there, Zev." said Tara, lifting Zevran from his letcherous thoughts. He nodded, setting the corpse-man's body into the grave.

Tara's green eyes were unreadable as the remains of her best friend were left into the earth. The soil packed hard over the grave; She and Zevran picked a few growing flowers to place over it. Smooth, white stones marked his grave, ones that Morrigan gave to Tara.

"I can't believe he's really gone." Murmured Tara, sitting beside little fire. Even Morrigan sat there for once, the apostate troubled by their unexpected attack.

"You dealt with it easily before, my dear. You can again." Zevran reminded her. "I had to." He added, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"You mean about Rinna?" Tara asked, her voice also quiet. Zevran nodded. Tara looked at her feet, then sighed. "I guess I just need some time." She muttered.

"I'll be with you every step of the way." Zevran vowed. Tara smiled sincerely.

"Welcome aboard."

It was something of a blue night, that night. And since Tamlen's disappearance, Tara was finally ready to let her old best friend - and once something more - be disappeared into the earth forever.

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**With Zevran not nearly dying or getting sad because of Rinna (as in my last two stories), I think he was a little more in character. Push the review button (you know you want to).**

**~AerisSerris**


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